Groovykid

I will add MLC to my list. Will definitely need something a bit lighthearted after this.

I really am expecting the worst. They are simply just crazy.
Case in point: Su Changlin killing off Uncle Yang that way, and then stabbing the girl he claims to like. Not just that he likes her, she had done him a favour when they were kids. It is almost like the Tiemo people are not humans, or they consider everyone else less than, regardless of circumstances. Even their kings, who spends decades teaching young boys only to make them fight against each other or kill them yourselves (I am assuming Gu Yu was in the same class as Huai'an and fake Zhang Mo).

Couldn't agree more - still happening till today. I guess it will never feel right once you are not the pillager, regardless of how many eons it has been going on for.

Huai’an is an embodiment of a vast array of emotions and the way he corrupts others is astounding. In him you can find love, hate, more hate, anger, lots of anger, desperation (to not die too early), patriotism, loyalty, friendship, sadness, longing to both live and to die. His ability to love his family and friends despite the hate he abhors shows how deeply he cares. This tells it all. Not dead, yet not alive.


Really job well done to the scriptwriters, the director and the actors. Everyone is superb. The ending really does not matter. Their delivery and interwoven-ness of the subplots and characters is a new first for me. I really had gotten tired of the cliche subplots and twists. Where is the fun in knowing what to expect? The mental gymnastics this series gives is just so thrilling.

I know right!
Uncle Long, Uncle Long!! You’d kill two boys you’ve practically raised for the past 20 years for two babies that didn’t even live up to the age of 1. The logic is not adding up. A relentless commitment to a belief can be scary.

My bloodlust is just out there, getting more and more boundless. Your own children are dying from natural causes, so your answer is to pillage and kill other people's children. Tell me they don't deserve to die. Have they never heard of trade?

I have only ever seen YouTube clips of LLH. Maybe I will have to watch it fully now. Because whatever the ending of Huai'an is, this will be a very highly emotive series up till the end.

Ep 19 - the conversation between the 2 madmen by Bai Wan's grave was bone-chilling! So contrasting yet very similar.

That my friend is an understatement. Almost every minute was captivating.

Any hope to Han Ziling beating death a second time? #sadface

Could not agree more. And I really do not want both. Sometimes they appear too invisible in those scenarios. Here we can see his vulnerabilities very plainly. He even talks about "attachments", reflecting on how everyone has emotional vulnerabilities.

True. His logic was funny and not adding up.

Got my answer at the end of ep.6. Very nice to see the connection.

What is with the dog? He’s always around when the show’s about to go down or shit is about to hit the fan? At this point, I’m so focused on every part of the scenes, I look for clues everywhere.
Happy to hear interesting theories.

I love the siblings energy. The sister is not a whimpering or timid lady. She is obviously gentle but smart and quick thinking. The way she stayed brave and dared to injure those who hurt her is refreshing. I hope we see some backstory as to how she built her strength, especially since she had a Huben lackey as a master and her not knowing she’s from the Liu family.
Really wishing the siblings happy ending. They’ve suffered, especially ML.

Well said. Can’t wait for daily episodes.

I’m reluctant to looking kindly on his character development. He’s the typical live large, selfish and reckless character. A coward through and through. I honestly expected him to do something crazy but killing original A’Mo mercilessly like that after that heart to heart talk they had was shocking. It almost depicts his character as unredeemable, to me anyway. And I know it’s easy for scriptwriters to kill off small characters but original Mo’s death was heart shattering.

Just finished ep 4 and I must say, I have never enjoying a fight scene like this before. Definitely never one as rowdy as this one. In fight scenes, I am always anxious about the “good guys” (or the lesser evils) getting too wounded (even when the fight is well choreographed), but in this scene, I watched with glee. And the director/scriptwriter making ML watch made it extra satisfying. His “vendetta” is a dish best serve cold, appears as he is going to make the army self-implode. Even the fighters were like, “they are Huben guards too”.

I am no history buff but I am enjoying the informative aspect of the series so much so I am doing some little readings about the WWII events in East Asia. I like how the production team give tidbits of some of the actual historical events. E.g. Never heard of Hong Kong's Black Christmas before now.

It is oddly very familiar to see the Japanese as the main bad guys of that era. I have seen other country's series that do not spare them in representing them in that light. But in this representation, what is with the British? I was not expecting a lot of what I am discovering about their preparation/response or lack thereof.

P.S: On a lighter note, they really did the British Naval officers very badly. As in! Any history buffs have any real life stories passed down relating to this. Just very curious.

Finally finished the series. But all I can say is the screenwriting was ridiculous on all levels. I am just happy I was able to support the actors, at least.
In my opinion, it was a weird mix of optimism (as the drama had a good synopsis) and ridiculousness in the delivery of the twists and plots. I kept hoping for more, for redemption but it never came. What kept on was the messy twists and insensible storylines. It was so bad that the original novel story or the ending no longer mattered.

Examples:
1. How can the Emperor with a tablet to bring a life back continue to avoid his wife (literally the very person he would protect with his own life) and ‘allow’ her get captured by the bad guy who then killed her!!!!
2. XH’s mum with her memories erased remembers that DTX is her friend’s daughter, hence supplied her with all the poison she requires to wipe out every human being. But she did not remember that it was this old friend that deceived her into leaving the palace and her son behind!!!! And that forgiveness/redemption arch for the sect was nauseating.
3. How quickly DTX gained control and became an all-powerful empress? Really, from just a love-struck physician whose only influence was through telling lies and appearing gentle. She defeated the grand tutor, the emperor and the empress dowager. I found the Empress Dowager’s subplot most annoying (the plot-twist delivery was just very lukewarm) - someone you ‘killed’ her mother indirectly encouraged you to kill your own daughter and then you used the poison she gave you on yourself. All to plot against an Emperor that could have had you and your family killed openly for the past 10 years at least and did not! Even for ancient times, I doubt this makes any sense.

Forgive my ranting. I will stop now. The annoying plots were just so much. I kept fast forwarding, so I may have even missed out some explanations.

I have some wild thoughts. Novel readers can correct my bonkers ideas if I’m way off course.
1. LCC is not the Grand Tutor’s real daughter. Even more, she is her master’s lost daughter. I just found it odd that he easily allowed another person to watch his daughter so closely. The man doesn’t believe anyone but himself. Even his biological son seems to be out of the loop.
2. Emperor or the preceptor is somehow linked to LCC’s master. There was a woman’s portrait in her master’s secret room in earlier episodes and we don’t know who she is. Or did I miss that? There are stories around the death of both of their mothers.
Anyways, the writers are so lazy, I have given up hope on some fantastic twist or plot line.